TEXARKANA, Texas -- C-5 volunteer firefighters gathered at Firehouse Subs on Monday evening to celebrate a recent grant of $29,000 to replace 21-year-old equipment used to rescue people from crashed vehicles.

Assistant fire chief John Almquist emphasized the importance of the grant and what it will contribute to the department. All of the new gear uses hydraulics to cut or pry open vehicles after accidents.

"We've been trying for years to upgrade our extrication equipment," Almquist said. "We were very fortunate to get this grant."

According to Almquist, the Firehouse Subs public safety foundation grant purchased equipment that will save time and more lives because of the ease of equipment setup.

"New vehicles have reinforced steel. These new cutters will give us the capability to cut that steel, while our old set will not, so this is a huge plus," Almquist said.

Lt. Justin Binnings took the initiative to write the grant application because the set of equipment the department had was breaking down.

"This was a need that needed filling, and the grant was available," Binnings said.

Binnings said he drew on his past experience at Wake Village, where he had previously applied for the grant in 2009.

"We have a new spreader, a cutter, a ram and a ram extension," Binnings said. "Texarkana has been growing so much, and they're expanding the interstate and doing a bunch of work in Hooks on the interstate. We stay busy in our service area. This is a very good thing."

According to Jackie Kotos, director of marketing and communication for the foundation, Firehouse Subs public safety foundation was founded in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

"The founders spent two weeks serving subs, providing water, anything," Kotos said.

Firehouse Subs has donated over $69 million worth of equipment to fire departments, funded by giving a portion of each restaurant purchase to the foundation.

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